Louise Blanche Ryden

Louise B. Ryden

Born May 13, 1915, Stony Plain, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Died October 28, 2005, Denver, Colorado

Survivors include: sons E. Jerome (Su) Ryden, Aurora, and Eugene
(Margaret) Ryden, Denver; grandchildren Armand Ryden, Sabrina (Dave)
Sumrall and Samantha Ryden. She is also survived by her sister Rita
Brohman of St. Albert, Canada, sisters-in-law Doris Tougas, Saratoga,
CA, and Irene Tougas, St. Albert, Canada, brother-in-law Henry Derksen,
Surrey, British Columbia.

Louise Ryden was born on a homestead in Stony Plain near Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada, on May 13, 1915, the second of seven children born to
Melanise and Armand Tougas. The family later moved to Edmonton where
she grew up. Her father died when she was 13, and she quit school to
help support her brothers and sisters. In 1944 her brother Bernard
introduced her to Edwin Ryden, a U.S. Army soldier serving in Canada in
World War II. They were married in 1945 and moved to the Ryden family
ranch near New Castle, Colorado, after the war. Their first son Jerome
was born in nearby Glenwood Springs in 1946. Under the tutelage of
Sophia Ryden, her mother-in-law, Louise learned the domestic skills of
ranch life--gardening, canning, cooking, sewing and knitting-skills she
excelled at throughout her life.

After selling their interest in the ranch, they purchased a peach
orchard near Grand Junction where their second son Eugene was born in
1949. After selling the orchard, they eventually settled in southwest
Denver. Always an enterprising woman, Louise held a number of clerical
and retail jobs over the years. She was a sales clerk at Eakers
department store for many years and later worked for the Denver Public
Library before retiring in 1977. After her husband Edwin died in 1989,
she remained involved in many social activities, including the Denver
Grange. She was a longtime south stands Denver Broncos fan, following
the team on tv long after she could no longer get to the games in
person. A lifelong learner, she enjoyed reading and classical music
into her late 80s. She leaves a legacy of love and devotion to family
and her many friends.

She was especially close to her nieces Lois Ryden, Lakewood; Iris
Boring, Anchorage, AL, and Betty Thunder, Silt, CO and counted many
other extended family members among her friends.

Memorial Mass, 3:00 p.m., Fri., Nov. 4, All Saints Catholic Church,
2559 S. Federal Blvd., Denver.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart
Association or to a charity of choice.